The 22 best things to do in Manchester this year

What is it? A massive seasonal series of electronic and dance music club nights that run from September to New Year's Day. 

Why we love it: If you like your music loud and don't mind seeing the sun come up on the way home, the Warehouse Project is where you need to be. Sacha Lord started it back in 2006, moving from Boddingtons Brewery to an old air raid shelter under Piccadilly station, before finally settling into the cavernous Depot Mayfield. The lineups look like someone raided every dream festival poster in Europe at once. Recent years alone have squeezed Bicep, Jon Hopkins, Kerri Chandler, Jayda G and the entire Rush Hour crew onto a single Saturday. Book ahead, as the good nights go in hours.

Don't miss: the 2026 season in particular. It marks twenty years since WHP's first ever party at Boddingtons Brewery. To celebrate a brand new fourth room called Vault is joining Depot, Concourse and Archive, alongside a run of anniversary specials through to January. 

Address: 11 Baring Street, M1 2PY, Manchester 

Expect to pay: Prices vary by event

What is it? A library commissioned by philanthropist Enriqueta Rylands in memory of her husband, who became Manchester's first multi­millionaire by owning the UK's largest textile manufacturing business. The building is home to reading rooms, a library and tall, spiralling stairways. 

Why we love it: Wander in expecting a library and you'll swear you've stumbled into a cathedral. The neo-Gothic reading rooms and spiralling staircases still stop people mid-sentence.

Don't miss: The Manchester Literature Festival, running from 9 to 25 October, with headliners Russell T Davies, Sarah Hall and Emily St. John Mandel, and events staged in the John Rylands Library, itself. 

Address: 150 Deansgate, M3 3EH, Manchester 

Opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday, from 10am-5pm (last entry at 4.40pm); closed Sunday and Monday 

Expect to pay: Free admission 

Vinyl Exchange, Eastern Bloc and Piccadilly Records get all the attention in the city centre, but the real digging happens in the suburbs. Burnage has Sifters, immortalised in the Oasis song Shakermaker, while Chorlton's Kingbee Records is so popular, people fly in from New York with an empty suitcase and leave with one that won't close over Wet Wet Wet and Meat Loaf records. Then there's Rubber Ducky Records, a barge stacked with tunage that's back touring the city's canals after a dramatic sinking incident in 2023.

Don't miss: Record Store Day in April, when most of these shops run exclusive releases and in-store sets. 

What is it? A speakeasy hidden within a local laundrette

Why we love it: Who doesn't love the mystery of a speakeasy? Book yourself a ‘washing machine,’ pick up the vintage wall phone when you arrive, and you're through into a dark, leather-clad room at The Washhouse, complete with table service, deep house and, for reasons nobody's fully explained, a disco DJ in the toilets. There's a secret menu, too, if you're sharp enough to spot the clues hidden on the one they give to you at the table. And don't leave without finding the slide that’s disguised as a washing machine, and surprisingly a lot more of a ride than you might expect. It’s not exactly a gentle cycle. 

Don't miss: the conspiracy theory cocktail menu. Ask staff to talk you through it, they clearly love an excuse to.

Address: 19 Shudehill, M4 2AF, Manchester 

Opening hours: Monday, Wednesay and Thursday, from 4pm-1am; Friday to Saturday, from noon-2am; and Sunday, from 2pm-11pm; closed Tuesdays

Expect to pay: £7-15 for drinks and cocktails

The Old Wellington Inn has been pulling pints since 1552, which makes most of Manchester look positively new. Next door, Sinclair's Oyster Bar is nearly as old, and the Briton's Protection reputedly treated people injured in the Peterloo Massacre at its own bar. If you want something you can barely fit in, squeeze into the Circus Tavern on Portland Street, one of the tiniest pubs in the country. Then, round the night off at Peveril of the Peak, a green-tiled powerhouse with a jukebox, a pool table, a dartboard and a crowd that's earned its stripes.

Don’t miss: The pie at the Old Wellington. Regulars rate it highly, and the building dates back to 1552, making it the oldest half-timbered pub in the city centre.

What is it? The UK's second largest Chinatown, home to a whole host of Vietnamese, Korean, Thai and Japanese joints.

Why we love it: It's an international food tour where you can skip the big supermarkets for Blue Whale, where the seafood comes straight from the tank. Or head to Hang Won Hong and its delivery arm TukTuk Mart for herbs and store cupboard essentials you won't find anywhere else. Join the serpentine queue at Happy Seasons for the roasted dishes, grab a bowl at Pho Cue, and duck into Oopstay Art Cafe for coffee among whatever the rotating local art happens to be that week. Then finish the night belting out something regrettable on the Karakoke at Vina, K2 or Orchid.

Don't miss: Chinese New Year, when the Imperial Chinese Archway becomes the centrepiece for lion dances and firecrackers that shut the streets down.

What is it? A section of Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter that's lined with what we reckon is the most secondhand stores on a single road in the whole of the UK. 

Why we love it: The trick to vintage shopping on this little Manchester stretch is knowing where to start. Blue Rinse at the Piccadilly Gardens end is a vintage emporium with a permanent kilo sale round the back for anyone on a budget. From there, work through Afflecks, Cow and Gone Fishing, the last of which stocks retro Italian gear from Stone Island, Missoni and CP Company that regulars guard jealously. Finish at Suzylovesmilo, one of the best designer boutiques in the country, just off Stephenson Square, whose team make regular buying trips to Japan for proper Harajuku fashion, from Yohji Yamamoto to Beams.

Don't miss Afflecks, an entire indoor market of independent stalls across four floors, worth an hour on its own before you even hit the street.

Address: Blue Rinse is located at 29-31 Oldham Street, M11JG, Manchester. 

What is it? England's glorious football museum that showcases over 140,000 historic objects of the beloved sport. 

Why we love it: Say what you like about it, but football is still the first thing most people mention when Manchester comes up. Both United and City's grounds lean into it hard, with tours, behind the scenes access and club shops that'll happily relieve you of a month's wages. But for a broader take, the National Football Museum in the city centre lets you delve into the history of the country's most popular sport. Here, you can gaze at the 1966 World Cup ball and Maradona's 1986 ‘hand of God’ shirt. From there, head to the Play Gallery to test your own skills in the penalty shootout, Pass Master and Shot Stopper games. 

Don't miss: The museum's collection of postcards from 1906 showing early women's football teams.

Address: National Football Museum, Urbis Building, Cathedral Gardens, M4 3BG, Manchester

Opening hours: Open daily, from 10am-5pm (last admission at 4pm)

Expect to pay: £14 for general admission when booking online, and £15.75 at the door. 

What is it? A technicoloured space that's almost entirely dedicated to LGBTQ+ bars, pubs, clubs and sex shops.

Why we love it: Canal Street runs technicolour pretty much all hours, whatever the day. Bar Pop is the obvious pick for a drag night, but New Union is the older, heart of the scene with a big dance floor, regular cabaret and karaoke, and a mixed crowd that spans every age going. For something that isn't a club night, The Molly House does cask ale and Spanish tapas across two cosy, shabby-chic floors, while Thompsons Arms and The Goose keep things to a local pub crowd rather than a dancefloor. If you want more polish, there's the private members venue The Eagle, or Oscars, a basement bar with a musical theatre streak running through it. Look out for Mel C's Manchester date at the O2 Ritz in October too, part of her Sweat tour and just a short walk from the Village if you fancy folding a gig into the night. 

Don't miss Manchester Pride, one of the biggest and best in the UK.

Address: Bar Pop is located at 10 Canal Street, M1 3EZ, Manchester 

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday, from 2pm-3.30am; Friday, from 2pm-4.30am; Saturday, from noon-4.30am; and Sunday, from 5pm-3.30am 

Expect to pay: Prices vary by event, but the fab Saturday drag brunch is £40 per person.

What is it? Arts, crafts, jewellery and illustration stalls that showcase the city's creativity. 

Why we love it: Manchester's fishmongers packed up decades ago, but the Victorian building they left behind on Oak Street found a new trade. The Manchester Craft and Design Centre now packs around twenty independent studios into the old market stalls, a few original fishmongers' booths still lurking among the jewellery and ceramics. Grab a coffee at the Oak Street Café, or better still, book onto a workshop and leave with something you actually made yourself, rather than just bought.

Don't miss: The Maker's Market, which pops up on weekends around West Didsbury and Chorlton.

Address: 17 Oak Street, Northern Quarter, M4 5JD, Manchester

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, from 10am-5.30pm; closed Sundays except for the second Sunday of the month, from 11am-5pm. 

Expect to pay: Prices vary by vendor

What is it? A studio that specialises in Korean-style craft workshops in the UK. 

Why go? If you've spent any time on TikTok lately, you've probably seen someone twisting pipe cleaners into a tiny fluffy creature, and dressing it in even tinier clothes. That's the Korean Moru doll trend and Manchester's own version of it lives at K Craft Studio, tucked into the canalside neighbourhood of Kampus. Hour long workshops walk you through making your own doll, then dressing it in tiny dungarees, glasses and hair clips like a very small, very committed stylist. Kampus is worth lingering in afterwards, as Nell's does NYC-style pizza by the slice, Beeswing pours natural wine on a terrace over the canal and Cloudwater's beer hall rounds it all off.

Don't miss: the option to turn your finished doll into a keyring so your new friend can explore the rest of Manchester with you.

Address: Studio 11, GRIT Studios, 231-233 (Upper), Great Northern, Deansgate, M3 4EN, Manchester

Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday, by appointment only. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Expect to pay: All classes range from £25-460, and Moru  doll-making classes range from £25-38. 

What is it? The city’s best-known museum, famed for its collection of natural history and human artefacts. 

Why go? More than four million objects live here, spread across galleries you could easily lose a whole afternoon in. Head straight for the Golden Mummies of Egypt exhibit to see the eight gilded mummies that toured the US and China before coming to Manchester for good. Or you could wander the South Asia Gallery, the first permanent gallery of its kind in the UK which was co-curated with the local community. Kids will make a beeline for Stan, a full cast of the second-most-complete T. rex skeleton ever found, and gawk at the 130-year-old sperm whale skeleton that hangs overhead like it's just popped in for a visit. In 2025, it also beat 41 shortlisted institutions to win European Museum of the Year, the first UK university museum ever to take the prize.

Don't miss: the gift shop, which runs a dedicated Manchester Makers collection and stocks jewellery from local designers like Anisha Parmar.

Address: The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL, Manchester 

Opening hours: Tuesday, from 10am-5pm; Wednesday, from 10am-9pm; Thursday to Friday, from 10am-5pm; Saturday, from 8am-5pm; and Sunday, from 10am-5pm; closed Monday (last admission is 30 minutes before closing) 

Expect to pay: Free general admission (special exibition prices vary) 

What is it? A flurry of fascinting vintage comic and indie bookshops that can be spotted across the city, and are worth trekking for. 

Why go? For something you won't find in every other city, Paramount Books on Shudehill has been trading since 1965. It’s family run and cash only, with a strict no-phones policy at the door, but call to check if they're open as hours can be a little unpredictable. Once you're in, vintage comics sit alongside secondhand fiction, biographies and postcards in a shop that's barely changed in decades. Over on Oldham Street, Forbidden Planet and Travelling Man comic shops are a few doors apart, and worth the visit if you want new releases, Funko Pops or a cosplay day rather than a rummage.

Don't miss: Free Comic Book Day, held every first Saturday of May when both, Forbidden Planet and Travelling Man, give away free issues, no purchase required. 

Time Out tip: Manchester's literary heritage runs deeper than comics, earning the city its UNESCO City of Literature status. After comic hunting, swing by Chorlton Books, the Manchester Poetry Library, Village Books and UniTom for magazines nobody else stocks.

What is it? The radio station’s flagship celebration of independent artists and venues.

Why go? Happening every year in March, Manchester's been BBC 6 Fest's permanent home since 2023. This year was a good one to catch as the festival ditched the arena in favour of grassroots venues: Band on the Wall, YES, and a brand new addition, Eccles Town Hall Ballroom, with Bloc Party and Courtney Barnett headlining. If you only have one weekend to get a feel for the city's music scene, this is arguably the most efficient one to do it. Past years have run from Ezra Collective to Kae Tempest to Fat Dog, all within a few streets of each other.

Don't miss: The smaller venue shows to discover new artists. Tickets go on sale per event, rather than as one pass and past years have sold out quick, so it's worth following BBC 6 Music's socials for the announcement.

Prices, locatons and hours vary by event.

What is it? An antiques hub packed with vintage furnishings and artisan workshops, all on road road.

Why go? Forget the roulette of Facebook Marketplace or the maze of IKEA. Levenshulme's got both beat with spaces filled of old-school furniture, art and decor. Make a day of it by first visiting Levenshulme Antiques Village, an antique building, itself, as it was once known as Levenshulme's Victorian Old Town Hall. Time this properly and down the road, you'll find the Levy Artisan Market that brings freshly baked produce and independent stalls to the same stretch on Stockport Road twice a month. Then, visit Station South, a café and bar built into a restored train station. It has the best coffee in the neighbourhood if you need a break between browsing.

Don't miss: The weekly Levenshulme Market too, running every Saturday between March and October, next to the train station. It’s a separate, smaller affair compared to the artisan market, but taking a peek through. 

Address: Levenshulme Antiques Village is located at 965 Stockport Road, M19 3NP, Manchester. 

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, from 10am-5pm; and Sunday, from 11am-4pm.

What is it? One of the grandest theatres in the city that stages major touring musicals and big West End transfers

Why go?  Just having a look at the ornate Edwardian auditoriam of Quay Street's Opera House is worth the ticket purchase, alone. It lives right on the edge of Spinningfields, one of Manchester's smartest dining and drinking postcodes, so pair a production with a pre-show pizza at Rudy's, or push the boat out at 20 Stories, the rooftop restaurant with 360-degree views of the skyline.

Don't miss: The Palace Theatre around the corner, too. It's run by the same team and worth the visit if the Opera House's lineup doesn't line up with your dates.

Address: 3 Quay Street, M3 3HP, Manchester

Hours and prices vary by event.

What is it? Manchester’s many brilliant small music venues showcasing upcoming acts and welcoming back homebound heroes.

Why go? These rooms teach you as much about Manchester's past as any museum in the city. Night & Day was once the stomping grounds of Shaun Ryder and Liam Gallagher, while the newly refurbished Band on the Wall has hosted Buzzcocks, The Fall and Joy Division without losing its edge. For something with a bit more room to move, New Century is a 1000-capacity venue from the sixties, recently reopened with its original sprung dancefloor still very much intact and a social hub downstairs for the inevitable after-party.

Don't miss: A weeknight gig at Night & Day. The crowds are smaller and the odds of catching someone before they get big are much better.

Address: Night & Day is located at 26 Oldham Street, M1 1JN, Manchester 

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday, from noon-2am; Friday and Saturday, from noon-4am; and Sunday, from noon-midnight.

Prices vary by event.

What is it? The biggest clubbing comeback story Manchester's had in years.

Why go? Opened in a vacant Ancoats soap factory in 1994, and originally named as Sankeys Soap, this bubbly venue became the spiritual home of UK house and techno. It launched some of the greats like the Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk and Solomun, and was deemed the Best Club in the World at the DJ Awards in 2010, before shutting in 2017 when the building was sold off for flats. Now, it's back with a vengeance on Sidney Street - this time, simply known as Sankeys. It's an intimate 500-person room with no VIP areas, no phones on the dancefloor and a lineup running stacked with a mix of legends and rising names. 

Don't miss: Tribal Sessions, the beloved night that helped define the original Sankeys is now back as a monthly residency in the new space.

Address: Sidney Street, M1 7HB, Manchester 

Hours and prices vary by event.

What is it? Manchester's high-tech social playground 

Why go? Horrifically competitive? Good, bring that energy here. Printworks' newest addition swapped out the old bingo unit for a group games night. Gameface welcomes you to play ten original tech-enhanced challenges across 5400 square-feet, all built to start a row with your mates. There's a giant Twister, where the colour you land on answers a question; Word Slam, where you're racing to spell out words from emoji clues; and Eye Dropper, where you're grabbing the right combination of coloured balls against the clock, and more. Every game feeds one shared leaderboard for the whole room, so bragging rights extend well past your own table. Groups of two to six work best, and there’s also a bar once the games wrap, so nobody has to be a sore loser for long. It could work as the perfect opener for a big night out or a first group hang with new mates.

Don't miss: Booking as a group in advance if there are more than six of you. Sessions are timed and the venue fills up fast on weekends.

Address: The Printworks, Gameface, 27 Withy Grove, M4 2BS, Manchester 

Opening hours: Open daily, from 11am-11pm. 

Expect to pay: From £20 per person for general admission. 

What is it? A relaxed coffee and breakfast bar with tasty pies by day, and a boozy bar by night, with beer, wine and espresso martinis.

Why go? Coffee snob with a sweet tooth? Congratulations, you've found your people. Idle Hands started life as a pop-up near Piccadilly Station and burned through three more incarnations before finally landing on Dale Street inside one of the Northern Quarter's grandest old red brick buildings. The espresso rotates between two or three single origins at a time, but it's the pie cabinet people queue for. Options include cherry, pecan, banoffee, salted caramel apple, that are all sweet and all made in house. Natural wine and craft beer keep it going into the afternoon, with a well-stocked fridge for anyone sticking around after hours. 

Don't miss: The pecan pie if it's available. Trust us.

Address: 35 Dale Streett, M1 2HF, Manchester 

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 8.30am-5pm; Saturday, from 10am-5pm; and Sunday, from 10am-4pm

Expect to pay: £4-16 for light bites and £11-15 for mains

What is it? Manchester's original Northern Quarter florist  since 2004

Why go? Northern Flower is the type of shop that you walk past on Tib Street and you suddenly want to buy yourself flowers for no reason at all. Acting as an oasis of green wedged between all that brick and steel, spread over two floors of a historic building. Beyond the bouquets and slightly odd plants, terrarium kits and gargoyle heads by local artist Amber Sanchez among them, the lower floor runs monthly workshops on everything from terrarium building to flower crowns.

Don't miss: the shop's twentieth year in the industry. It’s worth popping in to see how an independent florist has evolved without ever losing its slightly odd, plant-lover-paradise charm.

Address: 58 Tib Street, M4 1LG, Manchester

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, from 9am-6pm; and Sunday, from 11am-5pm

Expect to pay: From £2.50 for plants, £35 for flower bunches and £16.50 for scented candles 

What is it? The industrial revolution wasn’t the city’s only revolutionary moment; explore Manchester’s history of progressive politics and stoic activism.

Why go? St Peter's Square looks like any other city centre transport hub at first glance, with trams rattling through and office workers cutting across it at lunch. But the industrial revolution wasn't the only revolution this city had a hand in. The square is home to the Central Library and Town Hall, but was also the site of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre, marked today by Jeremy Deller's memorial and a statue of Emmeline Pankhurst in the square.

Time Out tip: For more activist history, the Pankhurst Centre on Nelson Street marks the birthplace of the suffragette movement, inside the house where Emmeline lived, and the People's History Museum tells the wider story of UK democracy. There’s also the Working Class Movement Library over in Salford, which holds a huge archive dedicated to the struggles of working people.

Don't miss: The Manchester Jewish Museum and the Instituto Cervantes too for a wider look at Manchester's multicultural history.

Address: St. Peter's Square, M1 5AN, Manchester 

Opening hours: Open 24 hours daily 

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